Coast Guard adopts 10-hectare coastal site in Surigao City
BUTUAN CITY (September 28) — MORE than 3,000 mangrove propagules were planted across a 10-hectare coastal area in Barangay Nabago, Surigao City, in an effort expected to strengthen the coastal environment and provide longer-term benefits for communities living along the shoreline.
The Coast Guard Station Surigao del Norte (CGSSDN) led the one-day planting activity Friday as part of the Philippine Coast Guard’s 125th founding anniversary.
Personnel from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Surigao del Norte joined the activity, along with barangay officials and other local stakeholders.
Station commander Lt. JG Roy Christopher Orillaneda said the planting was intended to restore and preserve the coastal ecosystem in Nabago.
What it means for Nabago
For residents of the coastal barangay, a healthy mangrove area can mean more than an environmental project. Mangroves provide habitat for marine life and can help buffer shorelines from waves and coastal hazards, while supporting the broader ecosystem on which fishing and other coastal livelihoods depend.
The Coast Guard has adopted the 10-hectare site, giving the initiative a longer-term dimension beyond the anniversary activity.
The project was supported by mining companies Pacific Nickel Philippines Inc. and Platinum Group Metals Corp., which provided the propagules.
Orillaneda said the partnership demonstrates the importance of cooperation among government agencies, private organizations and local communities in conservation efforts.
The planting was among activities marking the PCG’s 125th anniversary under the theme, “One Sea, One Mission, One Legacy: 125 Years of Guarding the Nation’s Maritime Future.”
For Nabago, the real accountability begins after the photo opportunity: who will maintain and monitor the 10-hectare site, replace dead propagules and report survival rates — and whether the agencies and stakeholders involved will keep that commitment long after the anniversary activity is over.
